


The Monsoon of Our Love

by carpfish



Category: Free!
Genre: Domesticity, Future AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-18
Updated: 2013-07-18
Packaged: 2017-12-20 14:37:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/888414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carpfish/pseuds/carpfish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The heavy pitter-patter of the rain against glass is the soundtrack for their kiss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Monsoon of Our Love

It’s 6 pm, and Rei can hear the heavy pitter-patter of raindrops upon glass, like a shower of pebbles being tossed against the office window, and heaves an equally weighty sigh. It’s about time the clouds broke and unleashed their torrent, he supposes. The sky’s been dark and the air’s been unpleasantly damp for nearly a whole week, the stagnant humidity punctuated by only brief spells of half-hearted drizzle that appeared out of nowhere and lasted for no longer than a few minutes at a time. It’s gotten to the point that he’s sure that most people are glad that the brewing storm has finally come and ready to be over with. 

Sliding his smartphone across the desk surface, Rei checks the time despite already knowing it, and waits for the inevitable text message plead from Nagisa. No matter how many times Rei’s pointed out the weather report, or warned him of the incoming rain, Rei knows Nagisa too well to think that he would take any heed to such reminders and that Nagisa most certainly does not have an umbrella with him. After all, Nagisa lives in a world of excitement and ideas, always looking towards the future and the opportunities that it brings with it. This contrast to Rei’s more methodical approach to life is part of what drew them together as a couple, but it also means that Nagisa can sometimes fall short when it comes to the practical side of things. As predicted, Rei’s phone buzzes with the chime of a ringtone, signaling a new message.

"srry rei-chan! forgot my umbrella :( come pick me up @ work? ty ilu xoxo <3"

Nagisa’s plead for help reflects on the lens of Rei’s glasses, and Rei rolls his eyes- part exasperation and part fondness, as it often is with Nagisa- and begins to pack up his work for the day. He’d been planning on doing a bit of overtime this evening, but it looks like that won’t be happening. Only in the most dire of situations would he abandon Nagisa to the cruel rain in favor of working, and this is not one such occasion. It’ll be difficult getting the work done at home with the interference and noise of a person as bombastic and active as Nagisa around the house, but Rei thinks the company to be worth it. He hadn’t been planning on doing any work that required immediate attention anyways- his tendency to complete tasks well in advance have earned Rei the label of a workaholic.

Pulling a foldable umbrella out of its spot in one of his desk drawers, Rei texts Nagisa back with one hand, simply responding with an “on my way". Nagisa replies barely seconds after with a kissy face emoji, and the words “my hero~". It’s not different from Nagisa’s usual flirtation, but still manages to bring a slight blush to Rei’s face. One of his coworkers notices his embarrassment and teases him about texting his girlfriend. Rei adjusts his glasses with a haughty expression, huffing that it’s “something like that". He exits the office only mildly flustered and doing his best to hide his excitement as he goes to meet Nagisa.

The rain is merciless as it pounds onto the pavement, and Rei grimaces as he steps into a pool of water which he has no way of avoiding as he crosses the road- the entire street is one big puddle. These shoes are leather, Rei moans to himself as he feels the wetness seep into his socks. Even with an umbrella shielding his head and body, damp patches form on the end of Rei’s pants where his shield of protection does not extend to when he walks. He sees no others on the street, which is not unsurprising; if not for Nagisa, then Rei would have preferred to wait it out inside a warm, dry building instead of braving the squall, but Nagisa has always had a talent for getting Rei to willingly do things that would normally go against his sense of logic. Droplets of water bounce onto the lens of his glasses and the wind blows rain into his face, but Rei takes comfort in the fact that Nagisa is close by, and afterwards, so is home.

When he finally gets to the museum, Nagisa is leaning against a pillar covered by the arching stone overhang above that shields him from the rain. Despite looking wet and windblow, he still manages to brighten like a light bulb the moment sees Rei, waving both arms wildly in the air like a child, and running out from his shelter to cling to Rei beneath the umbrella. “Thanks so much, Rei-chan," Nagisa says with a smile, planting a quick peck on the other man’s cheek. Back in high school, Nagisa would always unintentionally bury his face in Rei’s chest whenever they hugged due to the height difference. Now, they’re usually more or less the same height, depending on which shoes Nagisa decides to wear that day. In a pair of converse knockoffs that are going to need lots of washing and drying when they get back home, Nagisa is able to comfortably sling his arm over Rei’s shoulder. They enjoy the closeness as they attempt to maneuver themselves into a position that provides them both cover from the rain. Rei ends up with a shoulder jutting out from beneath the edge of the umbrella, and he knows his suit jacket’s going to get soaked, but says nothing.

"Sorry for making you come out here in this weather, Rei-chan." Nagisa has the decency to at least look a bit sheepish when he apologizes, even though this routine has repeated itself so many times that both of them know that Nagisa clearly has no intention of repenting. Rei’s considered just placing the umbrella into Nagisa’s bag himself, but as loathe as he is to admit it, he really enjoys picking up Nagisa and the closeness required to share an umbrella. Nagisa enjoys it just as much, and would probably find some excuse to have Rei pick him up anyways. 

Nagisa’s steps splash water onto Rei’s shoes, and they’re walking so closely that Rei sincerely hopes their legs won’t tangle up into one another. He doesn’t want to completely ruin this suit. The rhythmic patter of the rain is the background music to Nagisa’s chatter. “I was just texting Mako-chan you know," The blond comments with a wide smile. His eyes are glazed over with a slight sheen of nostalgia, as they tend to be whenever Nagisa thinks of their high school group of friends. Reunions have been fewer than any of them would prefer ever since Nagisa and Rei moved to the city, and Rei knows that Nagisa misses his childhood teammates much more than he’ll ever let on. “He says he and Haru-chan adopted a new cat. Her name’s Pingu because she’s black and white. I’ll show you the pictures he sent when we get home!" Rei nods, mentally counting the number of felines that his old teammates have picked up in the last few years. It appears that the Tachibana-Nanase family is constantly expanding, Pingu making up the 5th cat, if Rei’s memory serves him right.

Nagisa grabs Rei’s hand suddenly, and Rei feels metal in his palm. He looks down, and sees the thin silver band around Nagisa’s ring finger, and feels the blush spread on his face. “You wore it to work?" He asks, a bit startled but more flattered at the gesture as his mind playbacks the scene from last night in which he’d presented the ring to Nagisa.

Nagisa lifts his hand and admires the band, eyes glittering wistfully as he does so. “Yep. None of my coworkers have noticed yet, but I imagine that it’s only a matter of time," He replies with a hint of laughter in his voice. “And why wouldn’t I wear my engagement ring, mm? It’s a beautiful gift from my fiance after all." Nagisa bumps his elbow into Rei’s arm lightly at the mention of ‘fiance’, and Rei can’t help but smile, as well as blush harder.

"I know that you don’t care much for the technicalities of relationships or how other people view it, but," Rei takes a quick breath, punctuating the feeling behind his words. “It means a great deal to me that you accepted. Thank you."

Nagisa elbows him again, harder this time, and pushes their cheeks together in a way that seems more befitting for children rather than full-grown men. “Hey, stop thanking me, you make it sound like I wouldn’t jump at any chance to marry you. Besides, didn’t we discuss this already last night?" Nagisa pulls away a bit and looks at Rei with a slight smirk. “You’re not being hung up on all the theory and reasoning of our love, are you?" He teases, and Rei resist the urge to elbow him out into the rain just for the fun of it.

Adjusting his glasses, Rei gives a half-hearted ‘tch’ of annoyance before putting a hand to his chin and looking off into the distance. “Well, if I’m honest, part of me wants something tactile to undeniably prove the validity of our relationship. If anything, it’d be gratifying if we could get your parents to stop giving me sidelong glances whenever we meet for dinner, and referring to me as your," Rei mimics a nervous cough here. "… Best friend."

If Nagisa takes any offence to the jab at his parents’ attitude towards Rei, he doesn’t show it. Instead he lets out a laugh that resounds through the air, and almost slips a puddle, getting even more water on Rei’s shoes and the hems of his pants. “Well, I could always just go up to them and go ‘hey mom, look at these matching friendship rings my best friend and I got! We even got a wedding certificate to match!’" The joke causes Rei to give that little half cough chuckle that he does whenever he’s trying to hide his amusement. Imagining how awkwardly Nagisa’s parents would handle the situation is more than entertaining.

Rei’s thoughts lead to his own parents, and his mouth tightens into a tense line, all mirth dissolving from his expression. Nagisa notices this, and the corners of his smile droop into a worried frown. “Hey, we can always try sending your folks wedding invitations, right? No matter what, it’s still their son’s wedding." Nagisa’s always been an optimist, but it’s easy to tell that his words are empty consolation, especially after the way Rei had been excommunicated by his entire family as soon as he’d moved in with Nagisa. At this point, Rei wouldn’t be surprised if his parents had moved house without telling him their new address.

"Inviting them would be a waste of seats. They wouldn’t come." Rei’s expression is cold and distant, and Nagisa opens his mouth, no doubt ready to comfort him, when Rei follows up. “We can always invite Ran though. He’d attend." The thought of Rei’s older brother makes him smile, if not cringe slightly. Ran had always been neutral towards, if not supportive of, Rei’s relationship with Nagisa, save for that time he’d been kept up all night by the sounds of his little brother having sex in the room next door. As amusing as Nagisa recalls it, the memory of his brother’s deadpan expression the morning after still makes Rei want to bury his head underground.

It’s Nagisa’s turn to sigh as he sees the thoughts buzzing in Rei’s head, and claps his hand over Rei’s shoulder once again. “In the end though," he says, showing off his ring with hand movements slightly flashier than normal. “What matters most is that we’re getting married, isn’t it?"

Nagisa’s hand squeezes Rei’s shoulder comfortingly as they come under the doorway of their apartment complex. Rei closes the umbrella and shakes the water off it while Nagisa punches in the security code to open the door and let them into the hallway. They steal a quick, chaste peck on the lips before heading towards the stairwell, leaving a telltale trail wet footprints and water drops behind them. Rei intertwines his fingers with Nagisa’s, his thumb brushing over the engagement ring, and nods. The heavy pitter-patter of the rain against glass is the soundtrack for their kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally a drabble requested by reinapyon that got waaaay out of hand. Nagisa and Rei are the most adorable dorks, and nobody can convince me otherwise. Hope you enjoyed the cavities!


End file.
